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American Pie absolutely changed Jason Biggs’ life but he almost missed out on the role! The actor, who played Jim Levenstein in the raunchy comedy, stopped into our Us Weekly studio to promote his new Freeform holiday film, Angry Angel, and detailed his “excruciating” audition process for the film.

“I didn’t hear for a long [time],” Biggs, 39, told Us. “I wanted it so badly! I knew I did well. I heard from the directors that I was their top choice but the studio kind of had someone else in mind. Jonathan Taylor Thomas actually, from Home Improvement. They wanted to see that through because he was a name.”

Biggs added that the director really pushed for him to get the role — and he landed it after Thomas opted out.

“I never talked to JTT before or after, but I am incredibly grateful because I think he passed,” the Orange Is The New Black star told Us. “I think he actually had the offer, if I’m correct … Theoretically, he could have done it but at the time, I think it didn’t fit with his more family-oriented brand.”

Thomas, a.k.a. JTT, starred as Randy Taylor on ABC’s family sitcom Home Improvement from 1991 to 1998. He left the show while it was still in production to focus on academics. In 1999, the year American Pie came out, he took home a Kids’ Choice award for Favorite TV Actor.